The Chinese government has decided to test a new examination system for patent applications in Guzhen township, Guangdong province, that should be available for patent applications by local lighting companies by the year's end, according to a State official.

The system could replace the old manual exam and cut the application process for certain patents to about a week, as compared to half a year or even one or two years at present.

The decision to start a pilot program in "China's lighting capital" came from the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) and was announced during a recent visit to Guzhen by SIPO's commissioner, Tian Lipu.

"Very likely, the system will become operational on a trial basis this year and officially go into operation next year," Tian said.

One local official explained the decision to China Daily in this way: "Most new lighting gadgets have a life cycle of only three or four months, and the amount of time to apply for a patent has required many Chinese lighting companies deciding to just follow someone else's design."

He went on to explain that, "The frequent infringements either force local lighting companies into lengthy lawsuits or make them reluctant to develop new products. Sooner or later that prevents the healthy development of the lighting industry."

In a supplemental move, SIPO will leave an access to the intelligent search system of outer design and provide online access to the application process in Guzhen to deal with the increasing number of patent applications, Tian said.

Guzhen companies submitted 4,649 patent applications over the past three years, a year-on-year growth of 33.28 percent. Township companies were granted a total of 2,411 patents in that period, for an incredible year-on-year growth of 54 per cent, statistics show.

Earlier this year, the township established a lighting industry intellectual property rights (IPR) rapid-response center in the wake of an agreement reached by SIPO and the Zhongshan government on a mechanism for dealing with IPR issues more rapidly.

The center is the first of its kind in China for a single industry and comes complete with a circuit court to hear related cases, while offering a wide range of services such as patent applications, IPR protection information, resolution of disputes and information on judicial protections.

(China Daily 10/14/2011 page14)